The Dursleys Read: Philosopher's Stone
by TheIronFey
Summary: After the war, the Dursleys returned to their home at Privet Drive. Two years later, on a ordinary summer day, Ginny Potter shows up at Privet Drive: all Muggle families of the students of Hogwarts are being given the Harry Potter series so they can understand the war against Voldemort. How are the Dursleys going to handle reading these books with a bunch of witches and wizards?
1. Ginny Arrives

**Disclaimer: **I do now own Harry Potter

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

**Text from books**

_Emphasis/Spells_

**O~O~O**

It had been nearly two years since the Dursleys – Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley – had returned back to Number 4 Privet Drive, their now-perfectly ordinary home, where nothing strange was surely to ever take place again.

Vernon had certainly been glad to be back in the comfort of his own home, and he was even gladder to be ridding his hands of anything which he deemed to be "freaky", such as his unspoken-about nephew, Harry Potter.

Petunia, too, had been glad to be home. And seeing that her house hadn't been taken away from underneath her – and that it hadn't been in ruins – made her simply ecstatic. However, she craved answers, and even though she wasn't willing to admit it… she wanted to know what had happened to her nephew. Had he lived? Or had he died?

Dudley, on the other hand, didn't really care that he was home – well, actually, he did a little bit. Though, he still just wanted to know what had happened to this Moldywart guy… and what had happened to Harry.

Currently, the Dursleys were seated within their living room. The front windows were open, letting the summer breeze drift freely into the house. The television was blaring, playing some sort of comedy movie.

Dudley was sitting in his favourite position on the couch, eating from a big bag of chips; his watery-blue eyes were locked on the television screen. Vernon was sitting in his recliner and reading the daily newspaper, and every once in a while he would snort, and then he would proceed to mumble something under his breath about how people nowadays were fools. And finally, Petunia was sitting in her plush armchair, reading a nice romance novel and sipping from her cup of tea, taking great care not to spill it on her new white carpets.

The doorbell rang.

Petunia closed her book and carefully set her cup of tea aside. She then rose from her chair and went to answer the front door. Minutes later, there was a screech from the front door.

"Petunia!" Vernon shouted, struggling to get out of his recliner. When he finally managed to get to his feet, he rushed out into the front hall – closely followed by Dudley – and over to the front door.

Petunia was standing by the front door. She was dramatically clutching her pearl necklace and her eyes were widened in shock. Standing in the open doorway of the front door was a young woman, who was extremely pretty and looked to be about twenty; she had fiery red hair, which she wore in a long mane, and bright brown eyes. She had a petite stature and fair skin.

"Who the ruddy hell are you?!" Vernon demanded, putting himself between Petunia and the young woman. He tried to look imposing; however, he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you." She said, her cheerful voice sounding very forced. "I'm Ginny Potter."

Vernon narrowed his eyes. "_Potter_?" He said the name as though it would kill him. "My bloody _nephew_ doesn't have any family left; they were all killed."

"I'm his wife," Ginny said, as though it was the most obvious thing. "I married him at the beginning of this summer. If I recall correctly, we sent all three of you invitations, but you didn't attend."

"Of course we wouldn't attend!" Vernon roared, spraying spit everywhere, which only caused Ginny to grimace in disgust. "Why would we go to a wedding for freaks?"

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but it doesn't really matter to me,"

Dudley peered around Vernon, as he was blocking everything and making it hard for him to properly see Ginny. "Aren't you awfully young to be married?" Dudley questioned. He hadn't even moved out of his parent's house, and his cousin was already married.

"Age doesn't matter for us." Ginny nearly snapped, giving Dudley an annoyed look. "Harry and I love one another!"

Dudley didn't get a chance to reply…

"W-what are you doing here?" Petunia finally managed to speak. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was slightly curious about this young woman.

Ginny stepped into the house – much to the annoyance of Vernon – and closed the front door. "I'm here to read some books with you." She announced. "Of course, I am not doing this by choice. My Dad and Kingsley – the Minister of Magic – requested me to come; they thought I would be able to deal with you all."

"R-read books!" Vernon spluttered.

"Yes, read books." Ginny nodded her head. She then pulled out her wand – the Dursleys all jumped back, causing Ginny to roll her eyes – and muttered a spell under her breath. Suddenly, a book-set appeared in her hands. "This is the **Harry Potter series**. They're being given out to all the Muggle families of students from Hogwarts so they can read them and understand everything about the war against Voldemort. And of course, the Muggle families will be reading the books with a witch or wizard so they can understand everything properly."

Vernon sneered, "That ruddy war against Moldywart ended _two years _ago!"

Ginny placed a single hand on her hip, as she was holding the book-set with the other. "These books took time to make, I'll have you know."

"We don't want to read these books!" Vernon shouted angrily. He pointed a large, sausage-like finger at the front door. "Get out! _Get out_!"

"No,"

Vernon took a step forward, reaching to grab Ginny. However, she took a step back and drew her wand, pointing it directly at Vernon.

"Y-you can't use magic on us!" Vernon said, looking somewhat nervous and frightened.

"Yes, I can." Ginny narrowed her eyes. "I'm twenty years old and not in school – and since you know about magic, I can use it. So, don't even think about _touching _me."

"Y-you wouldn't!"

"I would!"

Petunia put a hand on her husband's arm. "Vernon…" She said, "Let's just read these books."

"I want to read them!" Dudley suddenly blurted out. His parents turned to look at him. "What? I'm curious to know about what happened."

Vernon growled. "FINE! We'll read the bloody books!"

"Good," Ginny said, putting her wand away. "Show me to your living room."

**O~O~O**

**This is a Dursleys read the Harry Potter books. There aren't nearly enough of them, and I love them!**

**Anyways, I decided to bring Ginny in first! I actually really like her. Also, I don't know when Harry and Ginny get married, but I like to assume that they get married somewhere between 1999 and 2001. I think because of everything they've been through, they would get married early and quickly.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter

**Here is the second chapter. **

**Also, Merry Christmas everyone! Or happy whatever you celebrate if you don't celebrate Christmas. Oh, and thank you for the ****reviews**

**Enjoy!**

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

**Text from books**

_Emphasis/Spells_

**O~O~O**

Ginny seated herself comfortably on the couch, sitting as far away from Dudley as she could. Vernon sat back down on his recliner, and Petunia sat back down on her plush armchair.

"So," Ginny said, breaking the tense silence. "Who wants to read the first chapter?"

No one said anything.

"Fine," Ginny let out an irritated sigh. "I'll read the first chapter."

Ginny drew her wand and with a flick, the book-set opened itself up and the first book flew into Ginny's hand, and then the rest of the books disappeared. "That's so no one can look ahead." Ginny said, eyeing Dudley.

Dudley looked like he wanted to say something, but he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. He may be curious about this war against this Moldywart guy, however, that didn't mean he was any less afraid of witches and wizards and their… _magic_. Though, he had also begun to gain a little respect for them…

Ginny opened the book up to the first chapter and cleared her throat. She announced the title of the first chapter with a slight wince, "**The Boy Who Lived**."

"What?" Dudley said, already looking confused.

'_Reading these books is going to take forever,' _Ginny thought as she glared at Dudley, her expression practically telling him to keep his mouth shut.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **

Vernon puffed out his chest, looking proud.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"No, we do not." Vernon said, eyeing Ginny with a look of dislike. She – along with his annoying nephew – stood for everything he disliked.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"Very important job, it is." Vernon boasted.

Ginny nodded her head, sarcastically muttering, "I'm sure it is."

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. **

Vernon began turning red in anger from the description, and before he could rant about it, Ginny quickly continued on with the reading.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, **

Petunia looked offended, reaching up to feel her neck. "There is _nothing _wrong with my neck!"

Vernon reached over – though he struggled to do so – and gave Petunia a reassuring pat on the arm. "You are very beautiful, Pet." He told his wife, using his nickname for her. "Don't listen to that ruddy book."

Petunia nodded her head.

**which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

"That's very rude," Ginny paused, looking up at Petunia.

Petunia stuck her nose in the air. "I do no such thing."

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Quite right," Petunia said, giving Dudley a sugary-sweet look. "There is no finer boy anywhere than _my precious _Dudders."

Dudley blushed at the nickname and Ginny snickered.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

Ginny scowled.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, **

"That is terrible." Ginny couldn't help but say, her mind wondering to Andromeda Tonks and her own sister, Narcissa Malfoy. They hadn't seen or talked to one another for _many _years, but recently, the two sisters had begun to reconcile with one another. "Did you even care about you sister?"

"Why should I have?" Petunia questioned uncaringly, refusing to meet Ginny's gaze.

"She was your sister!" Ginny was nearly shouting. She couldn't imagine isolating any of her family – not like Percy had…

Petunia shrugged her shoulders. "And?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Petunia and shook her head in disgust. Though, unbeknownst to Ginny, Petunia had clenched her fists and locked her eyes on the ground, a bubble of guilt building up inside her.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"No shame in that," Ginny muttered.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

Ginny snorted. There was nothing wrong with Harry.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. **

'_So the story is starting on that __day__.' _Ginny thought. She remembered her parents, as well as Bill and Charlie, telling her about how witches and wizards all over the world had celebrated that night, causing a lot of ruckuses and nearly exposing them to Muggles.

**Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

Dudley flushed at his behavior.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Bloody owls…" Vernon muttered under his breath.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **

Ginny shook her head.

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. **

"What…" Ginny gaped at Dudley, though she knew this was something she should've expected. If she behaved that way, her mother would've skinned her alive.

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar – a cat reading a map. **

Ginny paused for a moment, thinking about what she'd just read. _'Probably an Animagus…'_

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen – then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. **

'_A tabby cat...' _Then realization dawned upon Ginny. _'Professor McGonagall!'_

**What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive – no, **_**looking**_** at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. **

"That's what you think," Ginny announced, causing Vernon to glare at her nastily and Petunia to look away.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes – the getups you saw on young people! **

"There is nothing wrong with wearing cloaks." Ginny huffed. She then looked at her own attire – she'd chosen to dress in Muggle clothes, knowing it would probably help her make a better impression on the Dursleys. She was wearing a simple pair of black jeans and a white blouse and a pair of flats… however, now knowing how much Vernon Dursley was irritated by cloaks made Ginny wish she'd chosen to wear one.

**He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt – these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. **

Ginny stared at the book, and then she looked up at Vernon… the excuses Muggles came up with so they could remain ignorant.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. **

"Never seen an owl…" Ginny muttered. How had these people never seen owls before? With a sigh, Ginny knew she'd have to talk to Harry some more about the Muggle world; she just didn't fully understand it.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"What a productive day you had, Mr. Dursley." Ginny said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

Vernon, however, didn't catch it, and instead, he took what Ginny said as a compliment.

Dudley shook his head, hardly believing that his father couldn't tell the difference between outright sarcasm and an _actual _compliment.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk **

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

**across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"_Oh_," Ginny said. That made much more sense…

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. **

"I wonder why," Ginny muttered.

**It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

Dudley leaned in closer, his eyes locked on the book. He was very, very curious.

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"**

"**- yes, their son, Harry –" **

'_Why are they talking about Harry?' _Dudley wondered. He knew that his cousin had somehow been important in the war, but he didn't know how or why.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. **

Petunia let out an unnecessary gasp and looked over at her husband. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"I-I didn't want to w-worry you, Pet." Vernon fumbled for some sort of excuse.

"You should have told me," Petunia hissed, leaning towards Vernon and casting a nasty look at Ginny. "We could have run – we wouldn't have had to take in the boy."

Ginny bit her lip to keep from saying anything. Instead, she pretended to study the pictures placed around the living room.

"I'm sorry, Petunia dear." Vernon said, not actually sounding quite that sorry at all.

Petunia let out an semi-annoyed huff. "Well it is all too late now."

**He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... **

'_There's a surprise,' _Ginny thought.

**no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Harvey Potter… Harold Potter." Ginny tested the names out, she then shook her head. "Nope. None of them sound as good as Harry Potter."

Dudley eyed Ginny, giving her a strange look.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her – If he'd had a sister like that... **

"A sister like _what_?" Ginny snapped, narrowing her eyes at Vernon. She'd heard many stories about Lily Evans from people who had known her, and they had all told her that Lily Evans was exceptionally kind-hearted.

Vernon turned a disgusting red and opened his mouth to reply.

"_Read_," Petunia hissed angrily at Ginny, surprising her. But nonetheless, Ginny did what she said…

**but all the same, those people in cloaks...**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. **

Ginny stopped reading to look at Vernon, a look of shock forming in her face. "You know that word?"

"Of course," Vernon had practically sneered.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. **

"Well, yeah," Ginny said offhandedly to Vernon, "Not everyone is as rude as you are."

**On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"He managed to get his arms _around _you!" Ginny gaped at Vernon.

Even Dudley had to admit he was a little shocked – he knew what a… _big man _his father was.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Petunia shifted in her seat, sneaking a glance at her husband, who was promptly nodding his head in confirmation with the book about "not approving of imagination". This was the type of normalcy that had attracted her to him… but…

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? **

Ginny couldn't help but laugh a little; the Dursleys looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn't care. _'That is not normal cat behavior.' _Ginny thought, _'It is normal Professor McGonagall behavior.'_

**Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

Petunia gave her husband a shrewd look.

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). **

"You learn quickly." Ginny muttered.

Dudley flushed.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, **

"That's Ted Tonks!" Ginny exclaimed suddenly, forgetting the Dursleys had no idea what she was talking about. "He was a weatherman… T-Tonks… _she _told me…" She said the last part sadly, remembering Tonks, as well as Ted.

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early – It's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...**

Dudley was a little surprised his father was sort of figuring things out… he just wasn't too good at those types of things.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er – Petunia, dear – you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Petunia winced slightly, though no one noticed.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."**

"_Her crowd_," Ginny glowered at Vernon and Petunia. "We're people too, you know!"

"Hardly," Vernon sneered. "_Normal _people can't do the _freaky _things your lot does!"

"Ugh!" Ginny rolled her eyes. There was no winning with him!

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son – he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"No one asked you!" Ginny snapped at Petunia.

Petunia glared back at Ginny.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"A pair of _freaks_!" Vernon shouted.

Suddenly, before Ginny could say anything, Dudley jumped to his feet and shouted, "They aren't freaks, Dad!"

Vernon stared at his son in shock, as though he had just said he wanted to go vegetarian and would also never be eating another sweet-thing ever again.

"W-what… What do you mean, Dudley?" Vernon spluttered, looking wildly at Dudley. He then pointed an accusing finger at Ginny. "What the bloody hell did you do to my son?!"

"I did nothing," Ginny glared at him.

Dudley shook his head. "She didn't do anything to me, Dad," he said. "I just – they… w-w-witches and w-wizards aren't freaks…"

"You -!" Vernon began angrily.

Petunia shushed Vernon and jumped to her feet, rushing over to Dudley. She pushed him back down into his spot. "Just sit there, my sweet Dudders." She told him. "And _don't talk_." With that, Petunia returned back to her spot.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on – he yawned and turned over – it couldn't affect them...**

**How very wrong he was.**

'_Unfortunately,' _Ginny said, thinking about her husband...

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

Ginny smiled a bit. She knew that narrowed-eyed look very well – she should, after all. That look had been directed at her siblings, Harry, and Hermione many times. As well as herself and the other members of the D.A.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

"Albus Dumbledore…" Petunia muttered to herself, clenching her fists. She remembered the letter she'd sent him.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

Ginny couldn't help but smile.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again – the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. **

"The Deluminator," Ginny said softly. She had always thought it was cool – and it was perfect for Ron. It had helped him find his way back to Hermione and Harry.

**If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. **

Petunia quickly got up and rushed over to one of the nearest mirrors hanging on the wall. She peered at her long-necked reflection and said, "I am not beady-eyed!"

"Of course not, dear." Vernon reassured his wife as she returned to her seat.

**Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"Bloody bonkers, he is," muttered Vernon.

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"She always does," Ginny couldn't help but say. She liked Professor McGonagall; she was nice and caring, even if she didn't always show it.

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"I like him," Dudley said weakly, glancing at his father.

Vernon only crossed his arms.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has**_** gone, Dumbledore?"**

"Wait, wait!" Vernon said. "What the bloody hell are they talking about?"

"You-Know-Who… they are talking about Voldemort." Ginny explained.

"Yes, yes – but the book is saying he is _gone_." Vernon pointed to the book in Ginny's hand.

Ginny sighed. "I thought you all knew this much, at least." She said. "He was gone – well, sort of. Then he came back, in June of 1995."

Vernon glared at Ginny. "Do not take a tone with me! I thought Moldywart –"

"_Voldemort_!" Ginny threw in.

"- was just… there!" Vernon continued on as though Ginny hadn't spoken.

"Idiot," Ginny hissed, and then she resumed reading…

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

**"A what?"**

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

"Tom Riddle, actually," Ginny mumbled.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"That is absolute rubbish." Vernon said. "How can you be afraid of saying someone's name?!"

"They were afraid… he w-as powerful." Petunia said weakly. Vernon, Dudley, and Ginny looked at her. "And they were f-frightened of saying his name b-because of that. L-Lily told me… she was a-afraid, too. Until she turned s-seventeen, that is, and s-stared dating James Potter,"

Ginny nodded her head in confirmation. "And it didn't help that in 1977, Voldemort made his own name Taboo… It is only really now that people have begun to get over the fright of saying Voldemort."

"What is Taboo?" Dudley asked.

"The Taboo curse is a powerful spell." Ginny started explaining. She'd learned this all from Hermione; she had explained it all nicely. "It designates a word as a key to revealing the speaker's location. Voldemort made his name Taboo in 1977; people were even more afraid to speak his name than before. It was terrible."

Petunia shuddered.

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

'_And Harry,' _Ginny thought, though she knew Voldemort had never admitted it to himself. Instead, he covered his fear of Harry with arrogance and underestimation. A big mistake on Voldemort's part…

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

**"Only because you're too – well – noble to use them."**

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

Ginny laughed a little bit.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"What did stop him exactly?" Dudley asked, wondering what this all had to do with Harry.

"You'll see," Ginny told him. "Eventually,"

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are – are – that they're – dead. "**

Petunia bit her lip while Ginny bowed her head, having her own little moment of silence for the parents-in-law she never got to meet.

Dudley sat there, wondering what his Aunt Lily and Uncle James were like. Were they kind people? What did they look like?

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

'_Oh, Lily…' _Petunia thought sadly. It was only the first chapter of the book and she already was starting to lose her composure – something which she'd kept together for many, many years.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone."**

Dudley's eyes widened. "How did Harry live?" He asked.

"You will find out eventually." Ginny told him. Harry had explained everything to her when they'd gotten back together a month after the Battle of Hogwarts.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's – it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

Ginny knew that Dumbledore knew how.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. **

"That sounds kind of cool, actually." Dudley admitted.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

'_We're Harry's family, now.' _Ginny thought happily.

"That can't possibly be true." Dudley said. "What about Harry's father…? What was his name..? Jamis… no… Jamie… no, that's not it either… James! That's it!" He looked at Ginny. "So, what about Uncle James' family? Didn't he have any siblings or aunts and uncles?"

Vernon scowled, not liking that Dudley had said "Uncle James". However, for once, he kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, well, Harry's father was an only child, so Harry didn't have any uncle and aunts… but that's because Harry's grandparents – Charlus and Dorea Potter – had James when they were thirty-eight. Their very first son died at a young age – three, I believe." Ginny explained. She'd gained much of her information from the Black and Potter family trees, and also from going through the libraries in the Black and Potter Manors. "Harry also has a lot of distant relatives because the Potters are a pure-blood family; he has many second and third cousins. He also had a few great-aunts and uncles, though they've passed away."

Dudley was just getting more curious. "Pure-blood?"

"It's just a term for wizards and witches who have a purely – or approximately pure – magical history. In a simpler term, it just means they have no Muggles – people who aren't witches or wizards – in their family line. It is all rather ridiculous and prejudice." Ginny said the last part with an annoyed tone. "Most pure-blood families aren't so pure-blood anymore, like the Black family and the Potter family – there is just no way for witches and wizards to continue being pure-blood; if we didn't marry Muggles or Muggle-borns – people who are born to normal people, like Harry's mother – our race would just die out." Ginny then added, "People who are pure-blood generally look down on those who are not. It's sick." **(1)**

Vernon was fuming; if the boy had family, they shouldn't have had to take him in. However, he didn't say anything while Ginny was speaking because he was actually curious to learn all these things.

**"You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore – you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. **

It was true – and it was what the Dursley family had strived for.

**And they've got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

Dudley was once again flushing at his behavior. He hadn't realized he'd been that bad…

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? **

Petunia had to agree. You couldn't explain something like this – the death of a sister – in a letter. It had made everything much worse. However, Petunia knew if it had been done any other way, she and Vernon wouldn't have taken in Harry. They'd been left with no choice when he'd been dumped on their doorstep with a letter explaining everything.

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend – I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!"**

Ginny blushed lightly. She'd once been one of these children who'd known Harry Potter's name and craved to meet him. She was glad she'd gotten over it… with the help of Hermione, of course.

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"I never thought about it like that." Ginny said. She'd always thought the reason for Harry living with the Dursleys only had to do with Lily's protection, but what Dumbledore had said in the book made a lot of sense. She also knew – from Harry, of course – that James had been quite arrogant, and that if Harry had grown up in the wizarding world, he might've just turned out like his dad… not that any of that justified the fact that the Dursleys hadn't told Harry about anything.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

Ginny wrinkled her nose at the thought.

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it – wise – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Ginny nodded her head in agreement.

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

Dudley shuddered, thinking about the pig-tail he'd received from the half-giant.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

Ginny smiled sadly at the mention of Sirius; she had liked him. He was funny, and he had cared a great deal for Harry.

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Ginny began picturing a baby Harry. They did have baby pictures of Harry, but there weren't a lot of them.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"And he'll hate it forever," Ginny said to herself.

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. **

Ginny raised an eyebrow. She wondered how many other weird things she'd find out while reading these books.

**Well – give him here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I – could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Filthy beast," Vernon muttered to himself.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it – Lily an' James dead – an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

Petunia could once again feel that bubble of guilt building up inside her. It seemed that all these people cared so much about Lily and her husband.

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"What!" Ginny shouted, outraged. "He left Harry on the doorstep – and then he goes to party!"

The Dursleys eyed Ginny; she sure was frightening when she wanted to be.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

Ginny knew Hagrid wouldn't be returning that bike…

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," **

'_Something which Harry definitely had needed,' _Ginny thought.

**he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley...**

Ginny glared at Dudley, who had the decency to look guilty.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!"**

"Honestly," Ginny let out an annoyed sigh. "I understand that Voldemort had been "defeated", but two people just died and a little boy was orphaned… people could at least have some decency." She then looked up at the Dursleys. "Who will be reading the next chapter?"

"I will."

Ginny looked up at the doorway and immediately smiled…

**O~O~O**

**That's the end of this chapter! I hope you liked it! I tried my best with it - oh, and I'll slowly bring people in! By the way, I hope for all the Dursleys to come to a realization about the wizarding world - yes, that included Vernon! Though it will take forever with him! It will be easier for Dudley and Petunia... Honestly, though, I think Petunia will be the easiest; I think she always did love Lily and probably had a lot of guilt.**

**(1): **This is a very Hermione-like lecture to me, but Ginny did need to explain it.

**REVIEW! OR ELSE!**


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

**This is the third chapter for **_**The Dursleys Read**_**! I hope you like it!**

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

**Text from books**

_Emphasis/Spells_

**O~O~O**

"George!" Ginny got to her feet and rushed over to hug the man standing in the doorway. He had flaming-red hair and freckles. He was fairly tall and was somewhat stocky. His most distinguishing feature was his missing left ear.

Petunia gasped in horror at the sight of it and covered her mouth with her hands.

"That is certainly an unexpected reaction." George said, grinning at Petunia. "Usually, most people think that my battle scar is simply _amazing_… in fact, I think it makes me even more handsome."

Ginny punched George on the arm, and then she turned to the Dursleys and introduced him, "This is my brother, George Weasley."

Dudley's eyes widened and he pointed a finger at George. "Y-you and that t-twin of yours are the o-ones who messed up my t-tongue!"

"Ah yes… the Ton-Tongue Toffee." George said fondly. "Great sellers, they are."

"What!" Vernon had jumped to his feet. "Get out!" He pointed to the doorway behind George. "I will not have you in my house!"

"Oh, shut up." Ginny told him. "He has to be here, too. More people will be coming later as well, so get over it."

Vernon spluttered, "What! More freaks in my house."

"You sure are charming." George said sarcastically.

"I know right," Ginny muttered, and then she added, "And yes, more "_freaks_" will be coming here."

Vernon growled and sat back down in his recliner. Petunia didn't look that happy either.

"Well then," George clapped his hands, "Shall we begin the next chapter."

"Sure," Ginny said, returning to her seat. George seated himself comfortably in-between Ginny and Dudley, looking happy.

He looked at his sister, a charming smile in place. "The book, dear sister,"

Ginny rolled her eyes and handed it to George, who turned to chapter two…

"**The Vanishing Glass**," George read, and then he quirked an eyebrow. "Sounds interesting; though with Harry, that is something you have to expect."

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls.**

"That's quite boring." George told the Dursleys honestly.

"It is how we like it." Vernon said.

George shrugged his shoulders.

**Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets – **

Both George and Ginny snickered at the description, and Dudley looked embarrassed.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

Ginny narrowed her eyes.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"That cannot be pleasant." George said.

Petunia huffed. Her voice was not shrill.

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

Ginny was surprised. How did Harry remember that?

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"Merlin, he had just woken up. You should've given him some time." Ginny told Petunia, looking annoyed. "You banshee,"

"W-what did you call me?!" Petunia practically shrieked.

"A banshee," Ginny said. "Do you need a definition?"

George shook his head and quickly started reading, knowing how Ginny could get.

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you**

**dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

Ginny was glaring at Petunia.

'_If looks could kill,' _George thought.

**"Nothing, nothing..."**

**Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because**

George abruptly stopped reading, his grip tightening on the book. He looked up at the Dursleys, a look of pure anger on his face, something which was rare to see.

"What's wrong, George?" Ginny questioned, noticing the look on her brother's face.

Instead of answering Ginny, George simply continued reading to let Ginny know what had gotten him so angry…

**the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"_WHAT_!" Ginny shouted as she jumped to her feet. Her bright brown eyes were narrowed dangerously. "That is terrible! That is _abuse_!"

George was shaking his head in disgust. "No wonder Harry was always so eager to come to the Burrow."

"We took that ungrateful boy in and provided for him." Vernon sneered.

"By sticking him in a cupboard!" Ginny said. "He was only ten!"

Vernon snapped, "Well his freaky parents shouldn't have died; though this world is probably better off without them."

"_No_!" Petunia shouted, getting to her feet. She was shaking and she looked incredibly guilty and regretful. "_Not Lily_! She… she died… and she shouldn't have! I didn't get to apologize! I-I…" She stopped and buried her face into her hands, crying.

Vernon got up and wrapped his arms around Petunia, attempting to comfort her. Dudley also got up and went over to comfort his mother.

Ginny and George just stood there, the both of them feeling awkward.

"W-what…" Ginny mumbled.

"This is good…" George said quietly to Ginny so only she could hear. "Petunia does _care_, and Dudley is interested – they can both help Vernon."

Ginny nodded her head and took a calming breath. She'd just try to keep her temper in check for the rest of the chapter. Though, it probably wouldn't happen.

"George and I," Ginny said, causing the Dursleys to look at her, "can step out and give you all a few minutes."

"No," Petunia shook her head. "Let's continue."

Everyone sat back down and George picked up the book…

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. **

Ginny crossed her arms.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise – **

Vernon chose to wisely keep his mouth shut when this part was read.

**unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **

Ginny bit her lip.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

George's grip had tightened on the book. He was restraining himself as much as Ginny was.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. **

'_I love his eyes…' _Ginny thought. She hoped that when she and Harry started their family, that at least one of their kids would have those lovely almond-shaped, bright green eyes.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

'_Keep your temper in check. Keep your temper in check.' _Ginny told herself.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

Hearing that made Ginny really want to snap. She looked up at Petunia, seeing her guilt and tear-filled eyes. Immediately, Ginny's anger began to subside. It was quite obvious that Petunia regretted what she'd told Harry; though it had nothing to do with him… it all had to do with Lily…

_**Don't ask questions**_** – that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"No wonder he doesn't go to adults for help." George said quietly.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Won't work." George said cheerfully, trying to lessen the tension in the room. "Harry's hair is impossible."

Ginny laughed, nodding her head in agreement. She had tried to comb and tame Harry's hair, but she'd failed. His hair couldn't be defeated – it was a curse.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way – all over the place.**

"And I love it." Ginny said fondly.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

Dudley looked down in embarrassment. He knew he'd been… _large _as a child.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel – Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"My Dinky Duddydums _is _a baby angel." Petunia said fiercely, her voice still somewhat shaky. Ginny and George looked at each other, the both of them struggling not to laugh.

"Stop it, Mum." Dudley mumbled, having noticed Ginny and George's expressions.

Petunia huffed. She would never stop.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

Ginny and George both shifted; they'd be lucky to get more than three or four presents.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"No wonder he eats so fast." Ginny commented.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **_**Two**_** more presents. Is that all right?''**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"Sweet Merlin." Ginny and George muttered at the same time.

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right**

**then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

'_Yeah. As if.' _Ginny thought, shuddering to think what her mother would do to her if she behaved like this. Personally, Ginny knew that she will _never _allow her and Harry's children to act like this.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

George was curious to know what all this stuff was. _'I'll ask Harry or Hermione.' _He thought, knowing that the Dursleys – well, mostly Vernon – wouldn't react well if he asked what a VCR was.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. **

"Don't worry, Harry," George said to the book. "We'll take you."

Ginny laughed while Vernon began mumbling stuff under his breath.

**Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Sounds like fun." Ginny muttered.

**Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Cats… such lovely creatures…" George spoke fondly.

Ginny eyed her brother. "George…?"

George grinned. "What, Ginny? I'm just thinking of the _darling _Umbridge and all her cats."

"Ugh…"

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"I'm quite sure the feeling is mutual." Ginny said in a casual tone.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there – or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

At the word "slug", George chuckled a bit. He couldn't help but remember when Ron's spell on Draco had backfired because of his broken wand and he'd started puking up slugs.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend – Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

Vernon looked angry – Dudley, on the other hand, shrugged his shoulders.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Of course you won't, Harry." George was once again talking to the book. "You'll just blow up your aunt."

"George, stop talking to the book." Ginny rolled her eyes.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

"Yes," Ginny mumbled, annoyed. "The car is _so ever _important."

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd really cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

Petunia gasped, refusing to believe her precious son would ever do something like that. However, Dudley's ashamed expression confirmed it…

**"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"No, no, no." Petunia was shaking her head.

"Sorry, Mum." Dudley said guiltily.

Vernon huffed; it obviously wasn't true because it was from Harry's perspective.

**Just then, the doorbell rang – "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. **

"_Lies_!" Petunia gasped, looking at her son for some sort of confirmation; Ginny knew she wouldn't get it.

Dudley shifted nervously. "No, Mum. It is… not a lie." He admitted.

"Oh, Popkin…" Petunia got out of her seat and rushed over to hug Dudley, who was looking guilty. "Mummy forgives you."

Dudley removed himself from his mother's hug. "Mum, you can't forgive me," he told her. "What I need to do is apologize to the people I've hurt and start making the right choices."

Vernon said indignantly, "I'm sure they deserved it."

"No, Dad, they didn't." Dudley shook his head.

Ginny and George looked at one another – yes, they were definitely making progress.

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"And that…" George paused dramatically. "… never happened, and the reason is because our amazing, Harry Potter was accepted into a wonderful, magical school!"

Vernon scowled.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, **

"I'd – love – to – see – that." George said in-between his loud laughing.

Ginny rolled her eyes and smacked George on the arm. "Keep reading."

**which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't**_** explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Do you think he might be a Metamorphmagus?" Ginny said to George.

George shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe," he said. "But I've never seen Harry accidently or unconsciously change his appearance or hair colour before when he was emotional, like Tonks would do."

"Yeah…" Ginny pondered. "Maybe he's got the potential, but he just needs some training…"

"What is a Meta-whatever…?" Vernon cut in rudely.

George explained, "It is a witch or wizard who can change their physical appearance at will."

"That's kind of cool." Dudley commented.

Ginny nodded her head.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

Ginny and George both looked revolted at the description of the sweater, and Dudley shuddered as he remembered wearing that horrid sweater.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"You shouldn't have punished him for accidental magic." Ginny said to Petunia, trying to keep her fiery anger out of her tone. "You knew what it was."

"I…" However, Petunia trailed off. She couldn't think of anything to say.

Before Vernon could come to her "rescue", George carried on with reading.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. **

"Oh, Harry, the trouble you get into." George spoke to the book fondly, causing Ginny to laugh lightly.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual **

"I am sorry for that." Dudley said before anyone could say anything.

'_Good,' _Both Ginny and George thought.

**when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

Ginny's eyes sparkled. "I remember Harry telling me that his mother did something similar; she had jumped off a swing and sort of flew – or floated – her way down."

Petunia nodded her head, not looking happy. "She did do that." She confirmed. That was also the day that Severus Snape – that horrid boy – had jumped out from behind the bush and _stolen _Lily from her.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

'_Now I know why he doesn't like my cabbage soup…' _Ginny thought. _'Why couldn't he just tell me…?'_

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"I see Harry is well-liked." George chuckled.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Bad idea, Harry…" George said in a sing-song voice.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

George just couldn't help himself… he turned to look at Vernon, doing his best to imitate the description of Vernon's face, which was a difficult task. "MOTORCYLES DO FLY!"

Vernon looked highly offended and spluttered for a reply, but he just wasn't quick enough.

Dudley snickered.

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Harry will get dangerous ideas, anyways." George shrugged his shoulders.

"And Hermione and Ron," Ginny added, though she – and George – both knew that out of the Golden Trio, Hermione had the most sense.

The Dursleys looked at one another, wondering what Ginny and George were talking about.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. **

"I like those." Ginny commented, smiling. Harry had taken her to the zoo once for a date, and they'd gotten lemon ice pops – and know she knew why.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

Dudley looked embarrassed, and Petunia quickly reassured Dudley he was handsome.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

Both Ginny and George looked annoyed.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

"How ridiculous…" Ginny muttered.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. **

'_Harry can never catch a break.' _George thought, shaking his head.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can – but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

"Good." Ginny said.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

_**It winked**_**.**

"Nonsense – snakes don't have eyelids." Vernon said at once.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"**_**I get that all the time**_**."**

"Harry never mentioned any of this." Ginny said.

"He didn't even understand what was going on, most likely, and then he probably forgot about it." George told his sister.

Ginny nodded her head. "You're right."

"Er," Dudley spoke up. "How is Harry talking to a snake, and _understanding _it?"

"Harry wa – er, is – a Parselmouth." Ginny explained, stopping herself from saying "was". She didn't want them to figure out that Harry couldn't talk to snakes anymore; it would probably be revealed in the last book, after he defeated Voldemort. "And that basically means he can speak to snakes, or snake-like creatures."

Vernon muttered something under his breath.

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

George laughed. "Only Harry would have a conversation with a snake in a zoo…"

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see – so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"Great…"

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

George was once again laughing; Dudley, however, huffed. He didn't waddle.

"Shut it you!" Vernon shouted, but George kept on laughing.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

Ginny gave Dudley the infamous "Weasley look" – and, of course, he shuddered in fright.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "**_**Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo**_**."**

"Great one, Harry, great one," George complimented the book-Harry.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"To wonderland…!" George exclaimed.

Ginny hit her brother on the shoulder, again.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Yeah, right," Ginny snorted.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

Ginny turned her glare on Dudley again, as though it was his fault.

Dudley tried to shrink into the couch.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"Yes, yes… drink the brandy and starve your nephew." Ginny couldn't help but sneer.

"Merlin," George said in disgust. "No wonder Harry had been so small." He looked at the Dursleys. "You all – quite frankly – _disgust _me."

Petunia and Dudley both looked guilty – even Vernon looked somewhat guilty, though not as much as his wife and son.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

Ginny clenched her fists.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. **

Petunia bit her lip.

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

George and Ginny both couldn't believe Harry remembered something like this.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"Do you have _any _photographs of your sister?" Ginny asked, looking at Petunia.

"I do…" Petunia said quietly. She had _all _of her pictures of Lily – and she also had a few of Lily and James. But she couldn't take them out – couldn't show them to Harry, even if she had wanted to – because the memory of Lily was just too painful. It would always be… no matter how many years passed.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. **

"No, Harry," Both Ginny and George said together. The Weasley's, Andromeda, and Teddy were his family – and Luna, Neville, Hermione, and all their friends, were also Harry's family. Remus, Sirius, and Tonks had also been his family… when they were alive. He had so many people to call his family…

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. **

"That has to be Dedalus Diggle…" George said randomly.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Apparation…" George muttered.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That is the end of the chapter." George said while glaring at Dudley.

Dudley's stomach suddenly rumbled.

"Let's have some lunch." Petunia said, rising to her feet and heading into the kitchen. "Everyone come!"

Ginny and George simply shrugged their shoulders and followed Vernon and Dudley into the dining room, which was right by the kitchen and the living room.

They might as well…

**O~O~O**

**So that is the third chapter!**

**I hope you all liked it!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


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